Surfing Waves

hi, ive been surfin a lot lately nd noticed all these shortboarders are gettin on the wave easy and poppin up before the wave brakes...i noticed when i paddle into the wave rite before i pop up i hit a drop and it bothers me...i juss wanted to kno if im doin anythin wrong and if theres somethin i can do to prevent this from happening...also about the pop ups i heard to use a press up method instead of grabbing the rails can someone explain to me this press up method??? thank you,
-alex

Press up? I think its the same thing...
You really need to hold the rails as you get up, especially if your just starting out. You need to keep the board steady.
Theres not much you can do to avoid droping into a wave, unless you catch smaller waves.

Not sure what you mean about dropping. You will probably drop some. If what you are meaning you find yourself at the crest of the wave you don't have your speed up enough. I don't know what size board your riding but if it is a longboard and your where the short boarders are your in to close. I longboard and when I find where the waves are just starting to break I take another 10 to 15 more paddles past that. All depends how powerful the waves are. Make sure your board has good speed and your gliding across the wave face before you pop up.

I imagine what you mean by press up and not grabbing the rails. It is just like how you do a push up. It is exactly the same motion as when you grab the rails. Hands are in about the same place on the board but in a little so your not grabbing the rails. It (the press up) is the preferred way to pop up. If your using the rails and your hand slips off Mr. Board meets Mr. Face.

ooooh thankss i ride a 6'4 shortboard